The Duke's Reform Read Online Free PDF Page B

indeed.'
          'We are not to
have a wedding trip, did I tell you?'
          'As you have no
taste for travelling, my dear, I should think you are relieved to be staying
put. Anyway, as he is marrying you to fill his nursery it is far better you
remain in England. I doubt the physicians in other countries are as expert as
our own.'
          No more was said
on the matter and two days before the wedding the baggage carts set off at
first light and Isobel and her family followed after breakfast. There was to be
a celebration ball that night for the most prestigious of his neighbours , then the next day
there was to be a garden party for the staff and tenants in order to allow them
to pay their respects. A quiet family dinner would follow and then it would be
her wedding day. Her uncle and aunt and her two cousins, Petunia and David, had
accompanied them. David was two years older than Pet, and great fun to be with.
Everything was a lark to him, including the thought of Isobel marrying a duke.
          As the carriage
turned into the drive of Newcomb, Isobel lowered the window and craned out like
an urchin ignoring her mother's demands that she sit down immediately.
          'Look at that
monstrous building— it must have hundreds of rooms. I've never seen anything so
enormous in all my life.'
          'Isobel, sit
down at once. How can you express such a view about your future home? You
should be grateful it is not in the north of England but a mere morning's drive
from Town.'
          'I beg your
pardon, Mama, but the thought of spending the rest of my life here is quite
daunting. It must have a hundred staff to maintain it. How am I going to manage
to run such a place?'
          Her father
frowned and cleared his throat noisily. Hastily she sat down, recognizing the
danger signals. 'Isobel, I am shocked by your disrespect. This place will not
require your intervention; there will be a housekeeper and butler to take care
of things. Your duty is to be a good wife and provide your husband with an heir.'
          'Yes, Papa. I know what is expected of me, and apologize if
I have given offence.'
          A small army of
liveried footmen were waiting to greet them. Where was Bentley? Then he
appeared in the doorway and strode down the steps to snatch open the carriage
door himself.
          'My love, you
are here at last. Come, let me show you around your
new home.' Ignoring her parents, and the second carriage that contained the
rest of her relatives, he escorted her inside. She was almost running to keep
up with him.
          'Please, my
lord, should I not speak to the staff who were waiting
to greet me at the door?'
    'Absolutely not,
darling girl. I
have something to show you and it cannot wait. Remember, you will be my duchess
the day after tomorrow. You're answerable to no one here apart from myself .'
    She was breathless when he stopped
outside handsome double doors. Two flunkies bowed and opened them. 'My word! What a pretty sitting-room. Is this to be mine?'
          His delight at
her reaction told her she had said the right thing. 'I’ve had your apartments
refurbished and redecorated. That's why I have been absent so much these past
few weeks. I wished it to be perfect for you.'
          Her heart
skipped and impulsively she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Laughing he swung around like a child and kicked the door shut in the faces of
his staff. 'If there is anything I’ve forgotten, anything else that you wish
for, you only have to ask.'
          She gazed round
the room, her eyes wide as she took in exactly what was there. She ran from one
item of furniture to another exclaiming in pleasure. 'A walnut desk, and a harpsichord. Look, an easel and everything I
need to paint. I cannot believe it, you have chosen all these novels and they
are exactly what I would have picked myself.'
          'I spoke to your
mother when I was in Norfolk and she told me of