WolfeStrike (De Wolfe Pack Generations #2) - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,104

love us. We were only wards. We were not part of the de Wolfe family. We had lost everything and the only thing we had left was my sister’s husband. You have never lost a sister, Isabella. You do not know what it is like to preserve the memory of a loved one.”

Isabella looked at her as if she had gone mad. “I thought my father was dead at a young age,” she said. “Even though he returned to us, still, I did not try to prevent my mother from remarrying simply to preserve his memory. Life goes on, Barbara. You cannot live in the past and you cannot hurt people to manipulate the future.”

“Life should not go on,” Barbara snapped. “Don’t you understand? Tor is all we have to remember our sister. He is her husband. He belongs to her!”

Isabella sighed sharply. “He is going to marry Isalyn,” she said, watching Barbara’s eyes widen. “I am sure he will tell you himself, but I am telling you now. He is marrying her and there is nothing you can do about it. All of your attempts to control him and to keep women away from him haven’t worked. He will find happiness in spite of you.”

Barbara’s hand went to her mouth in shock. “It is not true!”

“It is true,” Isabella insisted. “He is in Carlisle right now purchasing a few things for their wedding. You had better reconcile yourself to the fact that Tor is marrying again. If you do not, you will only incur his wrath.”

Barbara’s eyes started to fill with tears. “He does not love her,” she muttered. “He only loves Jane. I have heard him say he only loves Jane!”

Isabella could see that the woman was shaken, but she didn’t have any sympathy. “What he feels for Isalyn has nothing to do with Jane,” she said. “It does not affect his feelings for her. I am sure he will always love Jane, but he has a right to be happy again with a living, breathing wife. Why would you try and take that away from him?”

Barbara blinked, tears splattering. “He said… he said that he did not belong to anyone at the moment, but he soon would,” she said, more to herself than to Isabella. “This has happened so fast… Lady Isalyn… it is too fast. He meant her. This must not happen!”

With that, she stumbled away, rushing back towards the apartment block.

Isabella watched her go with concern. It was more emotion than she had ever seen from Barbara, speaking as if her heart were broken. As if, somehow, Tor had jilted her. To Isabella, it simply didn’t seem rational. Barbara didn’t seem rational in the least. As she stood there, watching Barbara rush off, Christian suddenly appeared beside her.

“Are you well?” he asked, his eyes on the retreating Barbara.

Isabella turned to the man. He was tensed up, ready to protect her.

But she still felt uneasy.

“I am,” she said. “She did not try to harm me in any way. She simply wanted to talk.”

“What about?”

Isabella sighed. “I’m not sure,” she said. “She thinks I hate her. I told her I do not hate her, but she does not have a good heart. Christian, she said something strange. She said that Tor only loves Jane and when I told her he was marrying Isalyn, she said it must not happen.”

Christian sighed heavily. “You told her about the betrothal?”

“She was going to find out sooner or later.”

Christian couldn’t argue with that. “True, I suppose,” he said. “But until Tor and the others return, stay where I can see you. Or go to your chamber and bolt the door. Will you please do that for me?”

Isabella nodded. “I will,” she said. “I want to stay out here in the sunshine for a little while. The walls of my chamber have been closing in around me all morning. I wish I’d gone to Carlisle, too.”

He smiled, patting her on the shoulder. “They’ll be back soon,” he said. “I mean, Fraser will be back soon.”

She looked at him sharply. “Why would you say that?”

He was looking at her, an annoying look like a taunting brother would give a sister. “Mayhap because that’s what you want to hear,” he said. “I saw the two of you talking last night at the feast. You have the man captivated, Bella.”

Isabella turned her nose up at him. “You think you’re so smart, Christian Hage,” she said. “I was supposed to be married only last week and