A Lady's Guide to Courtship

XXXVII. The Mistress

Dear Lord Wakefield,

Thank you for your kind reply.

The cat shall return soon, I believe.

Mayhap I will consider caging it.

Sincerely,

Lady Weis

*****

Ysabella was prepared for a long and loud lecture, threats included, when she entered the drawing room, but she was taken aback when she saw her brothers chatting quite amiably about the upcoming hunting game.

Emma stepped beside her, Mrs Beagle in her arms, and said, "Hmm. Do you think they are merely acting?"

Ysabella tipped her head to the side and cleared her throat.

Benedict, Maxwell, Nicholas and Ralph all turned their heads.

"I came back on my own volition," she started with a smile, shoulders squared.

"You do look significantly different from when you were leaving," Nicholas said, narrowing his eyes at her. "How is Wakefield?"

"Ah, don't bother telling us," Ralph interrupted before she even spoke. "We do not wish to know."

Maxwell and Benedict simply stared, faces disinterested.

"I swear Ralph was about to tear Wickhurst apart when he discovered you were gone," Emma whispered beside her. "I warned you, they are up to something!"

"That was a fast talk," Nicholas added, arching an eyebrow.

"He did say the right things," Ysabella said with a shrug. "You cannot go and meet him tonight for he has more important matters to do than receive fists," she added.

When none of them made a move, Ysabella frowned. Turning to look at Emma, her sister shrugged. "I told you, they have been quite quiet after Ralph's outburst."

"We heard that, dear sisters," Nicholas said wryly.

"Then why are you still here?" Ysabella asked.

"Tired of threats?" asked Emma.

Ralph scoffed. Benedict and Maxwell looked amused. Nicholas grinned and said, "Ah, we are simply waiting for someone, see?"

Ysabella went cold. Levi. "You cannot be utterly serious!"

"We received word of his arrival yesterday. I believe we shall be expecting him on the morrow," Ralph offered. "Now that I think of it, I am glad you decided not to go. I do not wish to bore myself at Devonshire and miss the action."

She gasped. "You twit! Is that why you nearly begged me to stay!"

Ralph jumped to his feet in alarm when Ysabella stormed toward him, ready to attack. "I did mean what I said, Ysa, of course, but—bloody hell! Not the bloody face!"

He held up his hands to protect his face from her punches. None of the other siblings moved to stop them.

Benedict allowed the scuffle for nearly a minute before saying, "That is enough," to which both Ysabella and Ralph immediately jumped away from each other.

"Oww, Ysa! Look what you've done! I have scratches all over!"

"Well, they are better than what your lovers give you!" she shot back. "I thought you were being sweet!"

"Well, I was! But you must admit that I was right. You did not truly wish to go, did you?"

"And now you rejoice because you can join the rest of them!" she cried out. Whirling to face Benedict and Maxwell, she asked, "Is there any way you can face him without getting into a fight?"