The Runaway Groom

Chapter 123

Moneypenny walked up to Henry. “Sir, don’t you think Master Isaac looks a little upset?”

Henry sighed. “What, can’t you tell?”

Isaac’s stance was only too obvious!

Moneypenny then offered a theory.

“Perhaps he is refusing because he fell in love?”

Henry naturally picked up on it too. “This is all on me. I never did check on Irene Spencer thoroughly before I arranged for her to marry Isaac. And now, it’s going to be difficult to get him to divorce her.”

“You know his temper,” Moneypenny pointed out. “Things will only get difficult if he really doesn’t want a divorce.”

“Not exactly,” Henry countered. “Did you forget that he has an Achilles’ heel?”

Moneypenny was puzzled. “Are you referring to that?”

“Yes. He had always been obsessed with it-the silver crucifix of the girl who had saved him when he was ten, when he fell in the pool. He tried looking for her, and I helped too, but we never could because there were too many people visiting our house on that day.”

“But if we can’t find her after so many years, there’s surely no reason we’re able to do so now?

Moneypenny asked.

”

point. The point is to get Isaac to

Moneypenny appeared confused.

“We just have to find a girl we can count on, and have her tell him that she’s the one

“But would Master Isaac

many details. can he remember? We just have to tell our girl every detail we know,

to a little detail. “Yes, but if she showed up out of the blue, Master Isaac would be sharp enough to catch on. Just think about it —why is she showing up now, just as you’re trying to get him to

that it was true. “What do you think we

that difficult,” Moneypenny replied. “First, we embed a girl you appreciate in Master Isaac’s orbit, and have her inadvertently reveal that she had been here in the past and saved a boy. That way, Master Isaac will connect the dots on his own,

a look of approval-it was a good idea, but the question

in the sea, sir,” Moneypenny replied

Irene was sitting in a private booth opposite Zachary. He had been drinking himself silly for a

the mansion looking for her soon after Isaac left. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but could not find the right words,

shirt was unkempt, and he burped a mouthful of alcoholic gas, and pushed himself off the couch, wobbling for a while and grabbing himself another bottle. As he sat, he missed the couch and

drank, he asked, “Tell me, Irene… What’s Lulu’s

lips. “I

all? Lulu was never in

mumbling blankly while misery showed in his eyes. She betrayed me…

button,” he rasped as he gestured with his hands. “If only

silence, suddenly able

knew that Isaac might divorce her soon, and actually felt a sense of