interest soon, my dear.” Her father patted her hand and smiled at her. When he smiled his eyes crinkled at the sides and he appeared younger than his fifty-six years.
“Possibly. I also have a question to ask you.” Isabelle remembered about Janet and Gerard just before her father was about to leave.
“What can I help you with?”
“Janet would like to court Gerard, but says that servants are not allowed to court each other. I was wondering if you could make an exception for the both of them, if it isn’t too much to ask.” Isabelle stood and smoothed down her dress, once she’d finished talking.
“I’m not sure that that would be a good idea.”
“Please, Father. For young love, don’t you remember when you and Mother were in love as teenagers?”
“Of course, I do,” her father said, as he smiled and love shone in his eyes at the thought of his deceased wife.
“Then, please allow Janet and Gerard with the opportunity. Please?”
“Let us talk outside, Isabelle.” Her father took her hand and led her outside onto the patio. He closed the doors and the sound of the ball was drowned out. All she could hear were the crickets in the garden and the two of them breathing.
“Gerard and Janet are not to court and I want you to try and speak to some of the counts. You’re nearly twenty-five and you need to settle down soon, all of this rebellion isn’t good for you. The staff and other ladies are calling you a hoyden, Isabelle.”
“A hoyden? I’ve only gone out a few times and that was with people I truly trusted and I’ve only ever gotten intoxicated once by accident! How am I a hoyden?”
“Isabelle, I know about the men that have come through your bedroom doors. None have stayed!” Her father stood and crossed his arms across his chest, his right foot tapping on the floor.
“You’re telling me that you didn’t sleep with some people before you met mother?” Isabelle clenched her fists together and took a deep breath. She was trying her hardest not to get angry at her father, but it was a hard thing to do when he was insinuating that she was a whore.
“I did, but I was only seventeen at the time. You’re a lady, you shouldn’t be sleeping with every available man!” her father exclaimed, as he threw his hand up in the air and sighed deeply.
“The number of men I’ve slept with is nothing compared to Victor.”
“Victor is no concern of yours. He should not be here anyway anymore.” Victor was Isabelle’s cousin twice removed or something complicated like that. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure who he was, but he’d been staying at the family home for nearly a year now and he had overstayed his welcome.
“I’m not a hoyden or a whore,” Isabelle said, as she held her head high and stared her father in the eyes. She wasn’t a young girl anymore and she didn’t feel the need to be treated like one.
“Isabelle, I just want you to promise me that you will try and find yourself a count to settle down with.”
“Why does it have to be a count? Why can’t it be kitchen staff, like Gerard?”
“You’re a lady and you are worthy of a count. I will not have my daughter dating a mere servant. This is the end of the discussion.”
“What of Janet and Gerard?”
“Servants shall not court each other in my home.”
“Father, please.”
“Isabelle, do not argue with me.” He turned his back on her before heading back into the ball. She decided to stay outside for a while and breathe in the fresh air. She sat on a swing that her father had built her when she was five years old. While it was old, the rope was holding strong.
She kicked her heels off before pushing at the ground and propelling the swing into the air. Her golden hair flew around her face, as she propelled backwards and forwards on the small rope swing. She closed her eyes and smiled at the feeling in her
“Possibly. I also have a question to ask you.” Isabelle remembered about Janet and Gerard just before her father was about to leave.
“What can I help you with?”
“Janet would like to court Gerard, but says that servants are not allowed to court each other. I was wondering if you could make an exception for the both of them, if it isn’t too much to ask.” Isabelle stood and smoothed down her dress, once she’d finished talking.
“I’m not sure that that would be a good idea.”
“Please, Father. For young love, don’t you remember when you and Mother were in love as teenagers?”
“Of course, I do,” her father said, as he smiled and love shone in his eyes at the thought of his deceased wife.
“Then, please allow Janet and Gerard with the opportunity. Please?”
“Let us talk outside, Isabelle.” Her father took her hand and led her outside onto the patio. He closed the doors and the sound of the ball was drowned out. All she could hear were the crickets in the garden and the two of them breathing.
“Gerard and Janet are not to court and I want you to try and speak to some of the counts. You’re nearly twenty-five and you need to settle down soon, all of this rebellion isn’t good for you. The staff and other ladies are calling you a hoyden, Isabelle.”
“A hoyden? I’ve only gone out a few times and that was with people I truly trusted and I’ve only ever gotten intoxicated once by accident! How am I a hoyden?”
“Isabelle, I know about the men that have come through your bedroom doors. None have stayed!” Her father stood and crossed his arms across his chest, his right foot tapping on the floor.
“You’re telling me that you didn’t sleep with some people before you met mother?” Isabelle clenched her fists together and took a deep breath. She was trying her hardest not to get angry at her father, but it was a hard thing to do when he was insinuating that she was a whore.
“I did, but I was only seventeen at the time. You’re a lady, you shouldn’t be sleeping with every available man!” her father exclaimed, as he threw his hand up in the air and sighed deeply.
“The number of men I’ve slept with is nothing compared to Victor.”
“Victor is no concern of yours. He should not be here anyway anymore.” Victor was Isabelle’s cousin twice removed or something complicated like that. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure who he was, but he’d been staying at the family home for nearly a year now and he had overstayed his welcome.
“I’m not a hoyden or a whore,” Isabelle said, as she held her head high and stared her father in the eyes. She wasn’t a young girl anymore and she didn’t feel the need to be treated like one.
“Isabelle, I just want you to promise me that you will try and find yourself a count to settle down with.”
“Why does it have to be a count? Why can’t it be kitchen staff, like Gerard?”
“You’re a lady and you are worthy of a count. I will not have my daughter dating a mere servant. This is the end of the discussion.”
“What of Janet and Gerard?”
“Servants shall not court each other in my home.”
“Father, please.”
“Isabelle, do not argue with me.” He turned his back on her before heading back into the ball. She decided to stay outside for a while and breathe in the fresh air. She sat on a swing that her father had built her when she was five years old. While it was old, the rope was holding strong.
She kicked her heels off before pushing at the ground and propelling the swing into the air. Her golden hair flew around her face, as she propelled backwards and forwards on the small rope swing. She closed her eyes and smiled at the feeling in her
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